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Effect of process variables on the sulfate reduction process in bioreactors treating metal-containing wastewaters: factorial design and response surface analyses

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Abstract

The individual and combined effect of the pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and SO4 2− concentration, metal to sulfide (M/S2−) ratio and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the biological sulfate reduction (SR) process was evaluated in an inverse fluidized bed reactor by factorial design analysis (FDA) and response surface analysis (RSA). The regression-based model of the FDA described the experimental results well and revealed that the most significant variable affecting the process was the pH. The combined effect of the pH and HRT was barely observable, while the pH and COD concentration positive effect (up to 7 and 3 gCOD/L, respectively) enhanced the SR process. Contrary, the individual COD concentration effect only enhanced the COD removal efficiency, suggesting changes in the microbial pathway. The RSA showed that the M/S2− ratio determined whether the inhibition mechanism to the SR process was due to the presence of free metals or precipitated metal sulfides.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by a PhD fellowship from the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT-192635/303731) from Mexico and a BOYSCAST Fellowship (SR/BY/L-19/10) from the Department of Science and Technology of India. The authors would like to thank the laboratory staff (UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education) for the analytical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair Group Pollution Prevention and Resource Recovery, UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, P.O. Box 3015, 2601 DA, Delft, The Netherlands

    D. K. Villa-Gomez, R. Maestro, S. Mushi & P. N. L. Lens

  2. Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería Campus Zacatecas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Blvd. del Bote S/N, Cerro del Gato, Ejido la Escondida, Col. Ciudad Administrativa, C.P. 98160, Zacatecas, Zac., Mexico

    D. K. Villa-Gomez

  3. Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India

    K. Pakshirajan

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  1. D. K. Villa-Gomez
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Correspondence to D. K. Villa-Gomez.

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Villa-Gomez, D.K., Pakshirajan, K., Maestro, R. et al. Effect of process variables on the sulfate reduction process in bioreactors treating metal-containing wastewaters: factorial design and response surface analyses. Biodegradation 26, 299–311 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-015-9735-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-015-9735-4

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